This book elucidates what it means to transition to alternative sources of energy and discusses the potential for this energy transition to be a more democratic process. The book dynamically describes a recent sociotechnical study of a number of energy transitions occurring in several countries - France, Germany and Tunisia, and involving different energy technologies - including solar, on/off-shore wind, smart grids, biomass, low-energy buildings, and carbon capture and storage. Drawing on a pragmatist tradition of social inquiry, the authors examine the consequences of energy transition processes for the actors and entities that are affected by them, as well as the spaces for political participation they offer. This critical inquiry is organised according to foundational categories that have defined the energy transition - ‘renewable’ energy resources, markets, economic instruments, technological demonstration, spatiality (‘scale’) and temporality (‘horizon(s)’). Using a set of select case studies, this book systematically investigates the role these categories play in the current developments in energy transitions.

Olivier Labussière is a researcher at the French National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS). He is member of the Pacte Research Centre (Grenoble, France) where he leads the interdisciplinary “Environments” research group. He studies the relationships between energy, society and space, and their emerging issues and politics in different environments (underground, onshore, offshore, aerial).Nadaï Alain is senior interdisciplinary social scientist at CIRED, the International Research Centre on Environment and Development, a part of French CNRS. His research activity has been centred on environmental controversies and policies, landscape policies, energy transition policies and the societal and spatial changes induced by energy transition processes. He has contributed as a leading author to the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN, 2011).

“This wide-ranging exploration of the socio-political consequences of decarbonisation highlights the democratic possibilities at stake in energy transition. A rich set of case materials foreground the ‘conduct’ of transition to show how the progressive potential of renewable resources and low-carbon technologies cannot be assumed. Any democratic dividend from decarbonisation, the authors argue, must be worked for and achieved.” (Gavin Bridge, Professor of Economic Geography, Durham University)

“This book offers a theoretically novel and integrated understanding of energy system transformations. The authors present a rich collection of case studies and conceptual insights, offering multiple angles on infrastructural and political change in the energy sector. An essential text for scholars, students and practitioners interested in energy and socio-technical systems.” (Stefan Bouzarovski, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Manchester)

“This is an essential contribution to the project of crafting democratic paths to environmental change. The book lucidly sums up what is wrong with the 'transition' paradigm: this managerial approach leaves social actors un-equiped, and indeed mis-equiped, to contribute to the transformation of our world, while failing to extend the demand to "adjust to change" to the actors from whom this is required most urgently. The book brilliantly calls transition's bluff: it shows how a focus on the actual locations - the 'milieux' - in which energy transitions happen is NOT to shrink one's perspective to the 'small-scale'. It is to uncover the lateral forces that make change actually happen.” (Noortje Marres, Associate Professor, Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick)

“It is rare to find an analysis of energy transitions that is both empirically rich and conceptually sophisticated. Based on an extensive international body of case study research this book should be key reading for those trying to enact more democratically constituted transition processes and engage theoretically with the socio-technical dimensions of system change.” (Gordon Walker, Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre and DEMAND Centre, Lancaster University)